The teams have taken to the field, with bouncedown not far away in this one. We have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Carlton, as they have been a strong team for a few years now under Michael Voss and have started this season with a couple of gritty close win. They also welcome Jacob Weitering back into defence today, which is a huge in.
But North Melbourne are the fascination. The idea of Northball has come from within, and has created a shorthand for the type of footy they’re trying to play. As far as I can tell, it’s all about ferocity at the contest in the middle (led by George Wardlaw and Luke Davies-Uniacke) with relentless speed and aggression from half-back (led by Harry Sheezel, Zac Fisher and Colby McKercher).
When it works, it has looked electric this year. But the issue with playing young, forward-thinking players in the backline is that you can become vulnerable in defence. North have been scored upon heavily in both games so far this, and if they are to pull off an upset tonight will need to find a way to reverse that trend quickly against one of the league’s best forward lines.
